Good as the batting was, West Indies’ bowling strategy helped Ashwin and Saha along.
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At the end of day two, West Indies were trailing India by 246 runs with Brathwaite and Darren Bravo batting at the crease on an unbeaten 48-run stand.
Resuming on 5-234 overnight, Ashwin made 118 and wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha added 104 before India was bowled out in the second session, their partnership helped India to recover from a precarious 5-126.
The duo’s impressive 213-run stand steadied the ship for the tourists and guided them to a decent target of 353 all out before the hosts made 107 for the loss of one wicket in reply at stumps.
India’s middle order batsmen Ravichandran Ashwin, right, and Wriddhiman Saha walk of the field at lunch during day two of their third cricket Test match at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Wednesday, August 10, 2016.
Missed opportunities in the final session of day one have now proved costly with Ashwin dropped at short-leg off Roston Chase and then caught off a Gabriel no-ball. But India’s next 5 wickets fell within just 8 overs and just 14 runs. Kraigg Brathwaite (53) and Darren Bravo (18) were unbeaten at stumps on a pitch that offered little assistance to the bowlers.
Ashwin became the third Indian after Gundappa Viswanath and VVS Laxman to hit four hundreds against West Indies, surpassing the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip Sardesai, Navjot Sidhu, Chandu Borde, Mohinder Amarnath, Polly Umrigar and Kapil Dev.
Manager of the West Indies team Joel “Big Bird” Garner handed Alzari Joseph his first Test cap and his message must have been a stern one, as the young man ran in hard from the Southern End to rough up the Indians.
For the first time, India’s No.6 and No.7 batsman combined to score centuries in the same innings.
Alzarri Joseph in his maiden Test got three wickets in India’s first innings and gave away 69 runs in 24 overs, six of which were maiden.
India: 1st innings:KL Rahul c Brathwaite b Chase 50, S Dhawan c Dowrich b Gabriel 1, V Kohli c Bravo b Joseph 3, A Rahane b Chase 35, R Sharma c Dowrich b Joseph 9, R Ashwin (batting) 99, W Saha (batting) 93.
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And fellow paceman Miguel Cummins, in his second test, claimed 3-54, including the wicket of Ashwin, caught fending a short ball to backward point. They added 59 runs for the first wicket before a direct hit from Rahul at midwicket ran Johnson out for 23.
